s 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



TOBACCO SOILS OF CONNECTICUT AND 
PENNSYLVANIA. 



MILTON WHITNEY, 
Chief of the Division of Agricultural Soils. 



[Reprinted from the Yearbook of the U. S. Department of Agriculture for 1 894.] 




WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1895. 




Glass. 






Book 



\j 



. Wfc 



3 1 ^ 



U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 






TOBACCO SOILS OF CONNECTICUT AND 
PENNSYLVANIA. 



BY 



MILTON WHITNEY, 

( hief oj the Division o I , ullural Soils. 



[Reprinted from the Yearbook of the U. S. Department oi Agriculture for 1894.] 




WASH I NGTO N: 

GOVERNMENT P R I N 1' 1 N G O V F ICE 
1895. 



> 



<p 












~- 1 



CON T E NTS 



Page. 

Adaptation of soils to varieties of tobacco 144 

Tobacco soils of the Connecticut Valley 146 

Tobacco soils of Pennsylvania 151 



I L L 1 1 ST If. A T IONS 



Fig. 1. Mechanical separation of the gravel, sand, silt, and day in 20 grams 

of sal iso il fro in Poquonock, Conn., adapted to tobacco 147 

Fig. 5. Mechanical separation of the gravel, sand, silt, and clay in 20 grams 

of subsoil of the Podunk district, East Hartford, Conn., adapted to 

tobacco 118 

Fig. ii. Curves showing the amount of moisture in the tobacco soils at 

Poquonock, l.asi Hartford, and Hatfield, in the Connecticut Valley. 149 
Fig. 7. Average amount of water maintained in 20 grams of tobacco soils at 

Poquonock, East Hartford, and Hatfield, in the Connecticut Valley. 150 
Fig. 8. Mechanical separation of the gravel, sand, silt, and clay in 20 grams 

of subsoil from .Marietta, Pa., adapted to tobacco 152 

Fig. "J. Curves showing the amount of moisture in tobacco soils at Poquonock 

and East Hart ford, Conn., and Marietta, Pa, 153 

Fig. 10. Average amount of water in 20 grains of tobacco soils of Poijiionock 

and Marietta 154 

m 



(A portion of the article entitled "Soils in their Relation to Crop Production," in the Yearbook oft he 
U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1894.) 



TOBACCO SOILS OF CONNECTICUT AND PENNSYLVANIA. 

By Milton Whitney, 
Chief of the Division of Agricultural Soils, /'. S. Department of Agriculture. 

Tobacco is grouped commercially into classes, types, and grades. 
The class represents the use to which it is adapted, whether for cigar, 
cigarette, smoking, chewing, or export trade. The type is dependent 
upon certain qualities, such as the color, texture, and flavor of the leaf, 
and upon the question whether it is sun-cured, air cured, flue-cured, etc. 
The grade refers to the degree of excellence of the leaves from the same 
type or even from the same stalk. The different grades are designated 
as low, medium, and good, and also with respect to the use, as fillers, 
binders, wrappers, and the like. 

Different types of tobacco are required for cigars, cigarettes, smok- 
ing, and chewing, and different grades for the wrappers and fillers of 
cigars and for plug tobacco. Furthermore, different sections of our 
own country and several of the importing foreign countries require dif- 
ferent classes, types, and grades of tobacco for their use. 

The English, German, and Italian markets require a coarse, ark, 
heavy type of tobacco, grown extensively in the Clarksville district of 

143 



144 YEARBOOK OF THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

Tennessee and Kentucky. The Austrian and Swiss markets require a 
lighter-colored and more leafy tobacco, which is grown upon the lighter 
and poorer soils of the Clarksville district. The French market requires 
a still lighter and coarser leaf. Nearly all of the Maryland tobacco 
and much of the Virginia and Ohio tobaccos go to France, Holland, 
and Germany for pipe smoking, as it is a mild, sweet-flavored tobacco, 
with free burning qualities, making it specially suitable for this use. 
The cigarette tobacco comes principally from the bright tobacco soils of 
Virginia, North and South Carolina, and eastern Tennessee. 

Tobacco can be grown on almost any well-drained soil which will 
produce Indian corn; but the climatic conditions and the texture and 
physical properties of the soil so greatly modify the development of the 
plant as to determine the distribution of the different classes and 
types. Climatic conditions control, of course, the general distribution, 
but the influence of the texture of the soil in modifying the effect of 
these climatic conditions determines the local distribution of types. 
Tobacco readily adapts itself to a wide range of climatic conditions, as 
is seen in the distribution of the plant in our own country from Florida 
to Wisconsin. While it adapts itself very readily to the different con- 
ditions of temperature and rainfall which normally prevail during the 
growing season throughout this wide range of territory, seasons which 
are either too wet or too dry very often reduce the yield per acre and 
impair the quality and the value of the product. The plant is, further- 
more, peculiarly sensitive to the conditions of moisture and heat, result- 
ing under existing climatic conditions from the texture and physical 
properties of the different soil formations, and this largely determines 
the local distribution of the different types of tobacco. 

ADAPTATION OF SOILS TO VARIETIES OP TOBACCO. 

Soils adapted to the production of the coarse shipping tobacco, suit- 
able for the English and German markets, will not produce fine tobacco 
of any variety. Soils containing a large proportion of clay, or which 
otherwise are very retentive of moisture, produce large, heavy plants, 
which cure dark-brown or red, with large quantities of oil or gum in 
the leaves. Light, sandy soils, on the other hand, produce a thinner 
leaf, which cures a very bright red, mahogany, and even lemon yellow. 
So marked is this influence of soil upon the quality of tobacco that a 
fine bright-tobacco land may be separated by only a few feet from a 
heavier clay soil which will produce only a coarse, heavy shipping leaf. 
Varieties which produce an excellent quality of tobacco on soils to 
which they are adapted produce an entirely different type when planted 
on lands of a different character, and frequently fail entirely. Yellow 
Pryor and Orinoco grown upon rich lowlands, especially if well 
manured, produce a strong, heavy type of tobacco, while upon light, 
new land the product of the same varieties is yellow, fine flavored, 
thin textured, and sweet. 



RELATION OF SOILS TO CROP PRODUCTION. 145 

Manures and fertilizers tend to increase the yield per acre, but in 
the case of the fine, bright tobaccos this is usually accompanied by a 
deterioration of the quality of the product, especially if excessive 
quantities of stable manure and other forms of nitrogenous manures 
are added to the land. With the heavier varieties of tobacco, how- 
ever, this increase of yield is often accompanied by a marked improve- 
ment in the quality of the product, as it becomes richer and contains 
more oil and gum, which is an advantage for the purpose to which this 
class of tobacco is adapted. 

The distribution of the principal types of tobacco may be broadly 
stated as follows: The seed-leaf, or Havana, tobacco is produced in 
such quantities and such excellence as to give a distinct character to 
localities m Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, 
Illinois, Wisconsin, and Florida; the red shipping leaf gives a distinct 
character to localities in Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Iowa, 
and Arkansas; the white Burley gives a distinct character to localities 
in Ohio and Kentucky; heavy shipping tobacco for export gives a 
distinct character to localities in Maryland, Virginia,, West Virginia, 
Kentucky, and Tennessee ; mahogany and yellow wrappers and smokers 
give a distinct character to localities in Virginia, North and South < !ar- 
olina, and eastern Tennessee. 

The best soils for these different classes and types of tobacco are 
very different, ranging from the light, sandy lauds of the pine barrens 
for the fine yellow varieties to the heavy clay soils of the limestone 
areas for the heavier grades of tobacco. This must always be borne in 
mind, as otherwise there would be apparent contradictions, since in 
some districts light, sandy loams, and in others strong clay soils, are 
described as best adapted to the variety of tobacco which gives char- 
acter to the locality. 

The writer has endeavored to study during the past season the con- 
ditions maintained by the soils adapted to some of these different 
classes and types of tobacco for the purpose of determining those which 
are essential to the best development of each of these types. This infor- 
mation, with a knowledge of the ordinary climatic conditions, would give 
a basis for the classification of tobacco soils and for the improvement 
and modification of the conditions in many soils which are not, under 
present methods of manuring and cultivation, well adapted to any par- 
ticular type of tobacco. This work involves considerable preliminary 
examination of the physical conditions of the soils in the localities which 
are to be selected, and then the establishment of observing stations in 
these different areas. It has been impossible, for various reasons, to 
obtain in one year records of the soil conditions from many localities 
and, with respect to the localities from which we have obtained records, 
the data are not yet all available, and will not be until the tobacco is 
cured. 



146 YEARBOOK OF THE IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
TOBACCO SOILS OF THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY. 

The influence of soil upon the quality of the tobacco grown in the 
Connecticut A' alley is very marked. Where the soil is a heavy clay 
loam, or for other reasons is normally very moist, the tobacco produces 
a thick leaf which has considerable oil and gum in its tissues, cures a 
dark color, and will bear sweating well, but is not well suited for cigar 
wrappers at present because light- colored, thin-textured wrappers are 
in demand at this time. Upon light, sandy soils the quality is very 
line, the texture of the leaf is thin, and the color is light. It is this type 
of tobacco which is at present in demand for cigar wrappers. A good 
wrapper for our domestic use at present requires a leaf of line texture 
and small veins, but with plenty of body. It must have elasticity and 
strength to make it pliable in working, and it must have good sweating 
qualities to bring out the flavor and to give it the aroma it needs when 
finally cured. 

Samples of the soils and subsoils have been collected from a number 
of localities representing some of the principal types of land adapted to 
tobacco and several soils not adapted to this crop. Observations have 
been taken every day during the growing season to determine the 
amount of moisture in the soils in several places. 

The accompanying table gives the mechanical analyses of three of 
the very finest types of tobacco soil in the State of Connecticut for the 
light-colored, thin-textured wrappers. 





Table s. — Mechanical analyses of stthsoils of t<>h<tcc<> h 


nd. 




























. 






u 






5 


a . 


'-i 


a 


■p 


o 




No. 


Locality. 




I 


z 


■/. - 


s. K 

in 

- ri 






o 




o 






O^ 


-.1 


c8 


- ~" 


© 


© 




2 


© ■ 


C3 ■ 






3 


C 


o 


o 


3 


Ph 


> 


m 


Ph 


O 




CONNECTICUT. 




















842 


3J miles east of E;isl Hart- 


Perct. 


Perct. 


Perct. Perct. 


Per ct. 


Per ct. 


Perct. 


Perct. 


Perct. 


Perct. 




ford, " plains" 


0.40 


2.08 


1.05 


5. 03 


18.31 


25. 83 


32. 11 


11.31 


1.15 


2.51 


1254 




0. 56 


1.64 


3. 22 


7. 53 


19.64 


23.76 


34. 50 


5. 92 


0.78 


2.53 


729 


East Hartford, Podiint 


























0.4!) 


2. 05 


0.09 


0.30 


1.11 


9. 95 


52. 47 


27.73 


3. 56 


4.00 









The amount of clay in these samples ranges from ii.5 to 4 per cent. 
The soil of the "plains," near East Hartford, is a very light, sandy 
soil, which grows a tobacco of a very fine texture and very good color, 
but the yield per acre is naturally low. The conditions which give this 
land its characteristic value are undoubtedly to be found in the small 
content of clay and in the small amount of moisture which these 
"plains" soils maintain. No observations have been made on the 
moisture condition of these soils in their natural condition in the field. 

The subsoil of the Poquonock lands is seen to contain about 2.o3 per 
cent of clay, 5.92 per cent of silt, and less than 1 per cent of fine silt. 



RELATION OF SOILS TO CROP PRODUCTION. 



147 



These soils have almost identically the same texture as the "plains" 
soil, and the development, texture, and color of the tobacco crop is 
believed to be about the same. The yield is larger in this particular 
locality, because the lands have been more intelligently cultivated. 
This is believed to represent the finest type of land of the Connecti- 
cut Valley for the light-colored, thin-textured cigar wrapper, which 
approaches the Sumatra grade. When heavy, dark wrappers are in 
style this soil can not compete with the heavy limestone soils of Penn- 
sylvania for the domestic market. 



Per Cent. 



3.J13 



!»W, 



2-1 



7S3 



1,5 



Medium sand. 



/? 63 



.5,25 



Fine sand. Veryfinesand. 



c23 76 3+fSO 




J ■?£ 



.05,01 



0.7? 



.01,005 



Clay. 



J!, S3 



.005,0001 



Diameter of the grains in milHmeiers. 



Fig. 4.— Mechanical separation of the gravel, sand, silt, and clay in 20 grams of subsoil from 
Poqnonock, Conn., adapted to tobacco. 

The amount of moisture has been determined in these soils through- 
out the growing season. The results are shown in a diagram, figure 0, 
page 14!t. The figures on the left-hand side of the diagram indicate 
the percentage of moisture found in the soil to a depth of 112 inches 
from the surface. The dotted portions of the line pass through the 
dates where observations are missing. 

The soils of the Podunk region of East Hartford and Windsor, rep- 
resented by Xo. 729, are seen to have about 4 per cent of clay and L'7.73 
percent of silt, with 3.50 per cent of fine silt. The relatively large 
amount of silt makes these soils more retentive of moisture than the 
soils of Poquonock, and they are said to grow a rather heavier type of 
tobacco. The relative character of the crops of these two soils during 
the past season can not be exactly determined until the crops come out 
of the sweat and are finally cured, which requires nearly a year from 
the time the crop is harvested. 



148 YEARBOOK OF THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



It will be seen that the soil of the Podniik district contained during 
the season considerably more moisture than the soil at Poquonock, and 
this undoubtedly accounts for the heavier and darker type of tobacco 
produced. 



Per Cent. 



.OS 



2-1 



.30 



1.5 



/// 



.5.25 



s.ss 



.25.1 



VeryHnesand. 



S2 ¥7 



.1 05 



Silt 



27.73 






.05.01 



Fine silt 



3. SO 



Clay. 



¥00 




01.005 .005-0001 



Diameter of She grains in millimeters 



Kin. 5. — Mechanical separation of the gravel, sand, silt, and clay in 20 grams of subsoil of the 
Podunk district, East Hartford, Conn., adapted to tobacco. 

Hatfield, Mass., is another center for the tobacco industry of the 
Connecticut Valley, and samples have been collected from a number of 
localities in that vicinity. Their mechanical analyses arc given in the 
accompanying table. 

Tabi.k !). — Mechanical analyses of subsoils. 



No. 


Locality. 


9 5 
5 ^ 

o -x 

<• 


C 

a 

' "a 
5 


B 
1 

■2 


■d 

a 

a ^ 

U <-* 

: 


-d 

a 

2 A 
- N 

'<—' *^ 

— 


. 

r. E 

f 

a c i 


■d 

s 


E 
O 

5, 

■7. 


o 

a 


i 
o 
o 
o _^ 

• s 
B 

o 

ci ■ 




MASSACHUSETTS. 


Perct. 


Perct. 


Perct. 


Pi- ret. 


Perct. 


/ Vr <7. 


/Vr ci. 


Per el. 


Per ct. 


Per ct. 


1039 


Hatfield, "2-acre lot" 


0. 21 


1.48 


0. oo 


0.00 


2. 50 


28.11 


55. 78 


10.71 


0. 03 


0.92 


1173 


Hatfield, represent in g 
average soils of this lo- 
























cality 


0.59 


2.71 


0. 00 


0. 00 


0.40 


9.00 


4 'J. 12 


38. 90 


3.07 


3.17 


875 


Hatfield, 100 feet from 
























( lonnecticut River 


0. 66 


2. 15 


0.00 


0. 00 


0.12 


2.31 


40. 30 


45.41 


4. 15 


4.50 


901 


Hatfield, 200 feet from 
























Connecticut J Mvcr 


o. 82 


2.90 


0. 00 


0.00 


0.21 


2.13 


38. 1 1 


45.09 


4. 70 


5.98 




Not suited to tobacco. 






















999 


Hatfield, "heai yloatn"... 


0.88 


3.45 


0.00 


0. 00 


0. 10 


0.43 


21.88 


67. 00 


3.41 


2.61 


1250 


Hatfield, "meadow land". 


0.10 


4.75 


0.00 


o.oo 


Or 05 


0.50 


32.64 


49.32 


5.46 


6.79 



RELATION OF SOILS TO CROP PRODUCTION. 



149 



There are two very different types of land represented here. Sample 
No. 1030 came from a 2-acre lot in the town of Hatfield, considered to 
be of the very finest type of tobacco land of the locality. The yield 
per acre is small, but the color, texture, and quality of the tobacco are 
very superior, and the wrappers bring a high price. It will be seen 
that the texture of this soil is similar to that of the Poquonock and of 



JUNE. 


JULY. 




It 


I7U8 


19 


20 


21 


22 


23 


24 


25\2&27 


28 


29 


30 


1 \.2 


3 


4 


5 


6 


7 


8 


9 


10 


// 


12 


/3 \I4 


IS\I6 


33 
































































32 


























































































































■;, i 
































































29 

26 

27 


















































































































^1 






























































\ 












26 
















































1 


\ 








25 










, 


f\ 
















> 




















1 




I 


A 








24 


•. 


►^ 










\ 


































/ 






\i 


n 


V 


A 


•v 


23 




' 


A 








% 
















* 


\ 


H 


177 


7f 


LO 




/• 


— 


J 






V 


22 






V 








% 
















\ 


1 


1A 


?S. 






/ 




















21 


















\ 


i 












\ 


"V 


'+ 






/ 






















20 


















\ 


J 




















*•- 


J 






















IS 

la 




















V 










































































































17 
IB 


















































EA 


ST 


H/ 


/?r 


FC 


?/3 










































A 












A 




c 


ON 


v. 


15 






































J 


r 


V 


j^ 


^*- 


S», 


) 


f\ 


[ 




r 


■~c. 


., 


14 




































f 


J 












V 




v 


/ 








13 
































" 


,*f 




















V 










12 
II 
10 
























































































































A 


L_ 


























































9 


























































• f 


V 


«• 


8 
































ft. 
























J 








7 
6 




















— 


-. 


■s 


V 


* 


n/ 


r 


V 


-. 






P, 


QU 


ON 


)Ch 


,c 


r w, 


f. 


/ 






























-»- 


" 


■•« 


»•* 


— 


-.' 








5 
































































4 
































































3 
































































2 
































































/ 
































































































































Fig. 0. 



-Curves showing the amount of moisture in the tobacco soils at Poquonock, East 
Hartford, and Hatfield, in the Connecticut Valley. 



the "plains" soil at East Hartford. Sample No. 117.'> represents about 
the average tobacco soils of the Hatfield district. This is said to pro- 
duce a very fine quality of tobacco. It will be seen from the analysis 
that the texture of this soil is quite similar to that of the Podnnk dis- 
trict of Connecticut. Samples Nos. 875 and UOL represent what are 



150 YEARBOOK OF THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



East 
Poquonock Hartford 



Hatfield 

2 8% 



called the " river sands," near the edge of the first terrace overlooking 
the river. They have a small percentage of clay, but a rather large 
amount of silt. This might make them rather too retentive of moisture, 
but their position on the bank of the river insures perfect drainage, as 
the bluff is 25 or 30 feet high at this place. For this reason these soils 
produce a very fine quality of tobacco, as fine in every way as does 
No. 1030. The importance of the bluff in securing thorough drainage 
to these lands is very marked. Sample No. 875 is taken about 100 feet 
nearer the river bank than No. 901, and the soil is considered more 
valuable for tobacco than the other, the product being brighter and of 
a finer texture. 
The other two samples were taken from different types of land. 

Sample No. 009 represents what is 
locally known as a "heavy loam" 
.and No. L250 is from a meadow land. 
These two soils are said to produce 
tobacco the leaves of which are 
coarse textured and oily, do not take 
on a good color, and are unsuited to 
the present market demands; but 
when dark wrappers are in style 
these lands will be taken up and the 
cultivation of tobacco will be aban- 
doned on the light soils. These soils 
do not ditt'er materially from the 
other samples at Hatfield except in 
the large amount of silt they con- 
tain. ( ) w i n g to th i s 1 arge amount of 
silt and to the peculiar arrangement 
of the silt grains, these soils are very 
close and very retentive of moisture, 
and to these soil peculiarities are 
due the characteristics which unfit 
this tobacco for the present demand. 
The plants show all the symptoms of 
an excessive growth from an exces- 
sive water supply. 
The accompanying diagram (fig. 0) shows the amount of moisture 
maintained during a part of June and July in the soils at Poquonock, 
where the light wrappers are produced, in the soils of the Fodunk dis- 
trict, and in this "heavy loam" soil at Hatfield (No. 009), which is 
unsuited to tobacco. 

Figure 7 shows the actual amount of water maintained, on the aver- 
age, by 20 grains of the soil at Poquonock, and at East Hartford, and of 
this' heavy loam at Hatfield, through the season. The excessive amount 
of moisture maintained by the Hatfield soil is strikingly apparent. 




Fig, 7. — Average amount of water maintained 
in 20 grama <>t' tobacco soils at Foquonock, 
East Bartford, and Hatfield, in the Connecti- 
cut A' alley. 



RELATION OF SOILS TO CROP PRODUCTION. 151 

It may be asked if this "heavy loam" from Hatfield is better adapted 
to other types of tobacco. This is undoubtedly so, but just at present 
the heavy, coarse types of tobacco, which in its present condition it is 
adapted to grow, are worth but little. It may also be asked if the con- 
ditions could be modified so as to make the land better adapted to the 
finer types of cigar tobacco. This could undoubtedly be done. The 
first thing needed would be to underdrain the land by tile drains so as 
to remove as much as possible of the excess of water. The tobacco 
should be grown on high beds or ridges, which would keep the roots 
in drier soil and materially improve the texture and quality of f he crop. 
The texture of the soil .should be changed by judicious methods of 
cropping, manuring, and cultivation, making it more loamy and less 
retentive of moisture. The excessive growth of the plants could be 
checked by cultivation, or by the use of certain manures and chemicals 
which would prevent the plants from taking up so much moisture not- 
withstanding its abundance in the soil. But all this would be expen- 
sive, and it is a question whether it could be economically done under 
the prevailing conditions. 

TOBACCO SOILS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 

The characteristic tobacco of Pennsylvania is grown on the heavy 
limestone soils having a stiff red-clay subsoil. These soils represent the 
very finest type of agricultural land, being well adapted to both wheat 
and grass. They are identical in geological formation, texture, and 
agricultural value with the soils of the Cumberland Valley of western 
Maryland and Virginia and with the soils of the blue-grass region of 
Kentucky. There are, of course, many areas along the river, on the 
islands, and back in other of the geological formations of the hill conn 
try where sandy soils prevail and where a light-colored, thin-textured 
leaf is produced. This latter type of tobacco at present has a higher 
market value than the crop from the heavier soils, but the type which 
has given character to the tobacco area of Pennsylvania is that grown 
upon these rich and fertile limestone soils of Lancaster and the adja- 
cent counties. These limestone soils produce a heavy, dark type of 
tobacco admirably adapted for wrappers for our domestic use when dark 
cigars happen to be in fashion. 

The fad or fancy for light or dark cigars is difficult to explain. It 
causes prices to fluctuate fust in favor of one and then of the other of 
our two principal domestic types of tobacco. 

These conditions should be fully realized by the tobacco planters so 
that they can adapt themselves to the market demands which they can 
not control. They should fully understand the important influence of 
the character of the soil on their crop. When the fashion calls for light 
cigars they should cultivate only their lighter soils and use their heavier 
lands for other crops. When dark cigars are in demand the lighter soils 
should be diverted from this use and the heavier soils be once more 



152 YEARBOOK OF THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



taken up. The method of cultivation also should tend to emphasize as 
much as x>ossible the differences in the conditions of these two classes of 
soils; the lighter soils should have perfect drainage and maintain but a 
small amount of moisture, while the heavier soils should maintain at all 
times an abundant and uniform supply of moisture. 

The accompanying table gives the mechanical analyses of two sub- 
soils of tobacco lands from the typical tobacco area of Lancaster 
County. 

Ta blk 10. — Mechanical analyses of subsoils. 







u 




,_, 


_ 


,-, 


,_. 




J, 


i 






+3 


g"' 


a 


a 




3 • 




q 


lO 

o 


No. 


Locality. 


^ 


> 




^ .J. 

CD 


ai 1 

f 
I I-. 


i 
>/1 


H 

o 
f 

q 


o 


. 1 






cl 


a 


o 


•M "" 


© 


£ 














O 


o 


P\ 


N 


l> 


X 


Ph 


O 




PENNSYLVANIA. 


Per ct. 


Per ct. 


Per ct. 


Perct. 


iV/- et. 


Perct. 


/Vr ct. 


Per ct. 


P. e7. 


1360 




4.36 


0. 12 


0.22 


0.27 


0.37 


7. 48 


28. 28 


16.24 


35. 80 


16 


Lititz 


5. 34 


0. 36 


0.40 


0.93 


3.11 


1 1. 45 


30. 55 


10.35 


36.30 









Per Cent. 



tf/„? 



Coarse sand. 



J/ 



0.17 



0.37 



Verytinesand- 



7?f 



Silt. 



£8.cZ? 



Fine silt. Clay. 



/6<Z^ JSJO 




.5.25 



.25-.1 



.1.05 



.05-.01 



005-.0001 



Diameter of the grains in millimeters. 



Flu. 8. — Mechanical separation of the gravel, sand, silt, and clay in 20 grams of subsoil from 
Marietta, Pa., adapted to tobacco. 

It will be seen that these subsoils contain about 3(3 per cent of clay, 
nearly as much silt, and about half as much line silt. They contain 
only a very small percentage of sand. There can hardly be a greater 
contrast in agricultural soils than between these heavy limestone soils 
adapted to grass, wheat, and the heavy types of tobacco, and the light 
sandy lands of the Connecticut Valley. 



RELATION OF SOILS TO CROP PRODUCTION. 



153 



The- accompanying diagram (fig. 0) shows the amount of moisture 
maintained during the month of July by the soil at Marietta, from 
determinations in samples taken in the field and sent in to the labora- 
tory of the United States Department of Agriculture, compared with 
the moisture determinations at Poquonock and East Hartford, Conn., 
which have been given elsewhere. 





1 


2 


3 


4 


5 


6 


7 


8 


9 


to 


// 


12 


13 


14 


15 


16 


17 


18 


19 


- 
20 


21 


22 


23 


— 
24 


25 


26 


27 


28 


2'-' 


3C 


31 


33 
































































32 
































































31 

30 




— 






















































































































29 
































































28 
































































21 
































































26 
































































25 
































































24 
































































23 






























































22 
































































21 
































































































































19 
































































18 


















































MARI 


£T 


TA 


PA 




17 
















* * 


* 














































16 


»- - 


















*4*" 


-- 


-J 












— 


■*> 


">■- 


»* 


















15 














»•» 






























.\ 


















14 


































'■*- 


s 


r 


— a* 






















13 


>•- 


















































EA 


S7 


HA 


HT, 


-OR 


0, 


12 
























































C 


ON 


V. 




li 
































































10 
































































9 
































































S 


f, 










































•, 


















7 


V 


\. 












































\ 


a 


>OL 


ON 


OCi 


:, i 


ON 


N. 


6 


















™" 








































J»* 


5 






























































4 






























































3 
































































2 
































































1 
































































' 

































































Pig. 9. — Curves showing t lie amount of moisture in tobacco soils at Poquonock and East 
Hartford, Conn., and Marietta, Pa. 

It will be seen that the limestone soil at Marietta maintains nearly 
three times as much water for the plants as the light soil at Poquonock, 
and this more abundant water supply would be expected to have just 
the effect which is apparent in the darker, heavier type of tobacco pro- 
duced. 



154 YEARBOOK OF THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Poquonock 

Light Wrappers 

7% 



Marietta 
Dark Wrappers 

I 6% 




The Connecticut Y alley tobacco competes principally with the Suma- 
tra, and the Pennsylvania with the Cuban tobacco. Our planters 
claim that the domestic wrappers from the Connecticut Yalley have a 
better color and a better flavor than the Sumatra tobacco. The latter, 
however, has an exceedingly thin leaf, hardly thicker than tissue paper, 
but remarkably strong, elastic, and pliable. The veins are so delicate 
that they do not need to be removed. The leaves are so thin and yet 
so strong and cut to such advantage that manufacturers can estimate 
very closely how many cigars a pound of wrapper will cover. It is 
said to cover from four to seven times as many cigars as an equal 
weight of the domestic leaf. The cigars also have a smoother appear- 
ance and are thought to make a bet- 
ter appearance in the windows and 
.show cases. For these reasons 
manufacturers have been paying 
from $3 to $5 per pound for the 
Sumatra wrapper rather than pay 
from 25 to 50 cents per pound for 
the domestic leaf. The problem 
before our planters, therefore, is to 
make a smaller and thinner leaf, 
with more elasticity and strength 
and with much smaller veins. The 
peculiar character of the Sumatra 
tobacco must be largely due to the 
climatic conditions of the island, but 
the same result can possibly be ob- 
tained here by close and intelligent 
attention to selection and breeding 
of varieties and by control of the 
soil conditions. 

The Pennsylvania tobacco is well 
adapted for cigar wrappers, but it 
lacks the peculiar delicate flavor 
and aroma of the best grades of 
imported Havana. These qualities are undoubtedly due, in large part 
at least, to the tropical climatic conditions of the island. Whether 
these same qualities can be obtained in the same perfection under the 
existing climatic conditions in Pennsylvania, and if not, whether these 
conditions can be so controlled or changed as to give the desired qual- 
ities, can not be foretold, but otter a legitimate and promising subject 
for investigation. The improvement of the crop should be carried on 
in the lines indicated in this paper by comparing the conditions of cli- 
mate, especially the conditions of moisture and temperature, within the 
range of the best tobacco soils of Cuba, with those conditions prevail- 
ing in Pennsylvania. When these are known they will form a basis, 




Fig. 10.— The avera 
grains of tobacco 
Marietta. 



amount of water in 20 
lils of Poquonock and 



RELATION OF SOILS TO CROP PRODUCTION. 155 

otherwise wanting, for the intelligent control of the soil conditions or 
the improvement of methods of cultivation and treatment. 

Tobacco is grown in Pennsylvania in rather small patches, the aver- 
age size of the fields being about 3 acres. A small proportion of the 
farmers cultivate as much as 5 acres, but it is rather uncommon to have 
more than this, and there is a disadvantage in having more, as the crop 
can not be so well attended to. The crop is grown under a very inten- 
sive system of cultivation, involving great care, labor, and expense. 
AVitb such small arras as these there is no good reason why planters 
should not insure their crop against injury by drought by having small 
irrigation plants which would render them in a measure independent 
in case of any deficiency in the rainfall. The water could be obtained 
either from springs or streams, of which there are a great many in that 
limestone area, or by pumping with a windmill or small farm engine. 
In the arid legions of Kansas a good windmill, it is claimed, will fill a 
reservoir large enough to irrigate as much as 5 or 10 acres of land, even 
where several applications of water have to be used during the growing 
season. In the tobacco area of Pennsylvania probably one thorough 
irrigation would cany a crop over the most prolonged drought which 
is there liable to occur. A reservoir 100 feet square would be sufficient 
to irrigate the crop, and this reservoir could be stocked with fish, which 
would prove a source of pleasure and profit. If it were kept constantly 
filled it could be drawn upon for the tobacco crop when needed, for the 
garden if it were conveniently located, and for other general farm 
purposes. The cost of such an outfit would be comparatively small; 
it could be made to pay by the amount of fish it would produce, if prop- 
erly attended to, and as a measure of precaution and insurance against 
loss of the crop by drought it would be a wise investment even if it 
were used only once in two or three seasons. 

Where there are no available springs or streams and a windmill can 
not well be used, a small farm engine, such as would run a thrashing 
machine, could be very economically employed. Such an engine 
attached to one of the many forms of irrigating pumps would irrigate 
the entire tobacco field in a day or two at a very inconsiderable cost 
for fuel, labor, and wear and tear of machinery. The advantage of 
this would be that with small driven or bored wells located on different 
parts of the farm the engine and pump could be moved from place to 
place as the different fields were cultivated in tobacco in rotation from 
season to season. 

6 2 ^ 



